Very Low Frequency (30-35 Hz) Tinnitus in Left Ear

[Ani23]

Hi everyone, I just joined Tinnitus Talk. I woke up about 3 weeks ago and my left side of the face felt very full with pressure. Shortly after I started getting a very low frequency humming (like a running fridge or AC) in my left ear. The weird thing is I can actually feel the vibration in my ear.

Some of my symptoms:

• Very low pitch hum that is always "vibrating"
• When I stick my finger in my ear, the humming would disappear
• I used an online generator and it seems like 30-35 Hz is the level the humming stops and I don't feel the vibrations anymore, which leads me to believe my tinnitus is not actually gone but rather being "cancelled out" with the external sound
• In the past 3 weeks, the hum had gone away twice for a few hours - both times were after I showered but the humming always comes back the next day
• I feel like the hum is quieter in the morning and then gradually gets louder by night time
• When the tinnitus is gearing up, sometimes the hum would start off somewhat choppy like 'dum-dum-dum' before it eventually becomes constant like 'duuuuum'

I went to the ENT who said my ear was fine, no damage to eardrum, no infection or anything. I'm scheduled to go in for a hearing test next week, but wanted to see if anyone has experienced anything similar to this before?

Thanks!

 

[Leila]

Hi @Ani23,

I'm sorry to hear about your low frequency tinnitus. There are quite a couple of people around who've got the same kind of low frequency hum - do a search and the related threads will show up. One of my noises is a hum like this, too. I've had it for close to 3 years by now and it's the noise that has been incredibly hard to get used to because, even though it isn't really loud it's incredibly intrusive. It's got to my so badly that I'd literally bang my head against the wall to give my brain something other than the hum to focus on. It got me back to my ENT in no time, even though I already knew from my first noise that there wasn't much he could / would do. This time, however, I insisted on being allowed to give a WNG / hearing aid a try and it has made a big difference to me.

Since you've only had tinnitus for 3 weeks there it might be a fleeting occurrence and disappear as suddenly as it has come to life. Try not to stress too much, and I know this is far more easily said than done, protect your ears and try to distract yourself as much as possible. If your tinnitus isn't reactive you can have your radio or TV playing in the background, for example, or you may want to go for a walk, anything really to stop you from focussing on your tinnitus noise nonstop.

All the best,
Leila

 

[Benjaminbb]

Hi @Ani23,

I'm sorry to hear about your low frequency tinnitus. There are quite a couple of people around who've got the same kind of low frequency hum - do a search and the related threads will show up. One of my noises is a hum like this, too. I've had it for close to 3 years by now and it's the noise that has been incredibly hard to get used to because, even though it isn't really loud it's incredibly intrusive. It's got to my so badly that I'd literally bang my head against the wall to give my brain something other than the hum to focus on. It got me back to my ENT in no time, even though I already knew from my first noise that there wasn't much he could / would do. This time, however, I insisted on being allowed to give a WNG / hearing aid a try and it has made a big difference to me.

Since you've only had tinnitus for 3 weeks there it might be a fleeting occurrence and disappear as suddenly as it has come to life. Try not to stress too much, and I know this is far more easily said than done, protect your ears and try to distract yourself as much as possible. If your tinnitus isn't reactive you can have your radio or TV playing in the background, for example, or you may want to go for a walk, anything really to stop you from focussing on your tinnitus noise nonstop.

All the best,
Leila

@Leila and @Ani23, I would love some background on your situation. I'm trying to correlate some data on very LOW frequency tinnitus and why it reacts different to regular tinnitus. 20-100 Hz range.

Your age?

Do you have any form or hearing loss at all?

Have you spent much time around loud sounds or had any loud sound traumas?

How long did you have regular tinnitus before the HUM began?

Does it stop when plugging your ear/talking/moving hear/after a flight etc?

Did it start intermittently?

Is it now permanent?

Can you confirm your hum fits the subwoofer vibration range of video 1? Use headphones or larger speakers to hear it.

VIDEO 1:

Or is it more of a low tone like this?

VIDEO 2:

Any other details you'd like to add about your situation, feel welcome.

 

[GoatSheep]

I feel my hum vibrating in my ear too. Honestly, I am not sure if the recent body vibration sensations I've had could be related to this also. Last night as my head and ear vibrated, also my body began to vibrate.

This is a truly miserable kind of tinnitus.

 

[Benjaminbb]

I feel my hum vibrating in my ear too. Honestly, I am not sure if the recent body vibration sensations I've had could be related to this also. Last night as my head and ear vibrated, also my body began to vibrate.

This is a truly miserable kind of tinnitus.

Hey, did you want to let me know any of the details above, one post above yours? Is your unilateral, or in both ears?

Thanks.

 

[GoatSheep]

Hey, did you want to let me know any of the details above, one post above yours? Is your unilateral, or in both ears?

Thanks.

You already asked me in a different thread. I answered there. It's in both ears. But really only get the actual vibration sensation in left ear so far. Both are intermittent.

Today has been a good day. Last night was bad. Woke up and had vibrations in my body too. Honestly not sure what is going on. I don't know if it's related to the tinnitus or what.

 

[Benjaminbb]

You already asked me in a different thread. I answered there. It's in both ears. But really only get the actual vibration sensation in left ear so far. Both are intermittent.

Today has been a good day. Last night was bad. Woke up and had vibrations in my body too. Honestly not sure what is going on. I don't know if it's related to the tinnitus or what.

Good to hear. Yes sorry, I missed your other reply.

That is interesting because I have vibrations and nerve sensations all around my body too. However, I've had that throughout my life and only recently had this, so there may be no correlation. But let's keep that in mind if we notice more people saying that.

 

[Frayact]

I've had a low-pitched buzzing/humming in my head since 1996, although it has been known to go away for periods of up to three years. I've been on the antidepressant Escitalopram (generic Lexapro) for 15 years which I stared taking for depression, anxiety, and OCD. The buzzing in my head stayed away for years, but would occasionally return from out of the blue. I assumed (hoped) that the Escitalopram was helping with this.

Last week, I had another relapse after being buzz-free for three years. Since it returned, I haven't felt like myself. The major depression has returned, and I've lost all interest in the things that I normally relish. I have no appetite, and sleeping is virtually impossible. In addition to hearing this awful noise, I can also feel it. My whole head feels as if a propeller plane is flying around causing a vibration in my ears and throat.

Shaking my head from side to side will stop the humming but only for a few seconds.

The noise is also reactive. Playing music on my stereo, talking on the telephone, or strumming my acoustic guitar will cause it to go into overdrive. Up until last week, none of these things caused any problems. The word 'tinnitus' wasn't even in my vocabulary anymore. Now it's all I think about (again).

I'm seeing my doctor this week about possible getting on a new antidepressant. After 15 years on the same one, it might be time for a change.

 

[CrazyBison]

@Ani23, my gosh I thought I was going crazy. This is exactly what I'm going through right now and it's driving me nuts. It starts out choppy, then becomes a constant vibration. Sometimes it eventually goes away during the day, but tonight it came back after going away in the afternoon and I can't sleep.

Did you ever figure out what it is and if you were able to get help for it?